This study is an examination of the beast motif associated with Stephen Dedalus in Joyce's Ulysses. The motif has its origins in Joyce's earlier novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. In Ulysses the beast motif is related to Stephen's feelings of guilt and remorse over his mother's death and includes characterizations of Stephen as a fox, a dog, a rat, and a vampire. The motif consistently carries a negative connotation. Several literary sources for the imagery of the beast motif are apparent in Ulysses, including two plays by John Webster, a poem by Matthew Prior, medieval bestiaries, and a traditional Irish folk riddle. The study of the continuity of the beast motif in Ulysses helps to explain the complex characterization of Stephen Dedalus.

In The Rainbow D. H. Lawrence departs from traditional literary techniques, going below the level of ego consciousness within his characters to focus on the elemental dynamic forces of their unconscious minds. Using three generations of the Brangwen family, Lawrence traces the rise of consciousness from the primal unity of the uroboros through the matriarchal epoch and finally to full consciousness, the realization of the self, in Ursula Brangwen. By correlating the archetypal symbols characteristic of three stages of consciousness outlined in Erich Neumann's Origins and History of Consciousness and The Great Mother with the three sections of the novel, it is possible to show that Lawrence utilizes the symbols most appropriate to each stage.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

On ne compte plus le nombre de représentations ou d’adaptations sur la scène ou à l’écran de la pièce de théâtre d’Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac. Celle-ci a bénéficié d’un succès considérable en France et dans le monde, de la date de sa première représentation, le 28 décembre 1897, jusqu’à nos jours. Son héros, Cyrano de Bergerac, s’appuie librement sur l’écrivain réel, Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac, qui vécut au XVIIe siècle mais dont pratiquement plus personne ne connaît l’existence. Aujourd’hui, tout le monde éprouve admiration et tendresse à l’égard du duelliste au grand nez qui, par ses lettres amoureuses, aide le beau Christian à conquérir le cœur de Roxane; mais nul ne lit plus Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac. Sans doute la pièce de Rostand possède-t-elle de réelles valeurs littéraires, une construction rigoureuse, des personnages élaborés, une écriture poétique et légère, de l’humour, de l’émotion… Et cependant, malgré ces qualités indéniables, il demeure difficile d’expliquer son triomphe. Nous posons l’hypothèse selon laquelle, c’est à la manière dont Edmond Rostand a fait de Cyrano de Bergerac un mythe littéraire entouré de symboles propres à une identité dans laquelle les Français sont susceptibles de se reconnaître - et grâce aussi à un contexte sociopolitique dont il a réussi, volontairement ou pas, à tirer grand parti - qu’est attribuable le succès démesuré de la pièce. Rostand a créé un évangile de cape et d’épée sur fond d’Affaire Dreyfus pour un univers théâtral qui intègre les symboles autour desquels les Français se retrouvent volontiers : gastronomie, élégance, faconde, galanterie, fidélité, honneur, patriotisme, … panache. / Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac has undergone innumerable adaptations and interpretations on the stage and on the screen. Since its premiere on December 28, 1897, its success in France and internationally has been considerable. The play’s eponymous hero is based freely on the 18th-century writer Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac. But while today’s audiences tenderly admire the large-nosed dueller who, through his love letters, helps the handsome Christian conquor Roxana’s heart, few read the author on whom the fictional character is based. Though recognized for its wit, emotion, characters, and poetry, the play’s literary merit does not seem sufficient to explain its instant and enduring success. This paper argues instead that Edmond Rostand formed Cyrano de Bergerac into a literary myth, filled with symbols of an identity with which the French were able to identify themselves. To this and to the sociopolitical context that informs Rostand’s work can be attributed the piece’s overwhelming triumph. Rostand created a swashbuckling gospel against the background of the Dreyfus Affair for a theatrical universe that integrates symbols in which the French willingly located themselves: gastronomy, elegance, eloquence, gallantry, fidelity, honor, patriotism, and of course, panache.

Cette recherche propose une interprétation d’un corpus centré sur le roman Œdipe sur la route d’Henry Bauchau, mais en faisant référence aussi aux autres œuvres du cycle œdipien et aux journaux de l’écrivain. C’est un travail qui opère à un double niveau, celui d’un projet ontologique des personnages errants en quête d’identité, et celui des stratégies d’écriture. La première partie de cette étude, munie méthodologiquement des travaux théoriques sur le mythe, propose une définition des concepts, des relations du mythe avec la littérature, de l’évolution du mythe œdipien. Au centre de l’ouvrage, à l’aide d’une analyse comparative, argumentative, herméneutique et stylistique, nous nous concentrons sur le roman de Bauchau, Œdipe sur la route. Nous analysons les rêves d’Œdipe et de l’écrivain, la route de Thèbes à Colone, la transformation d’un roi déchu, incestueux et aveugle à un aède, un artiste, un héros tutélaire d’Athènes, les symboles, les personnages principaux œdipiens et la vision des Roumains sur le mythe d’Œdipe. La dernière partie analyse l’écriture de Bauchau : la polyphonie, l’anachronie, la mise en abîme, l’intergénéricité, le statut des personnages, la dimension onirique, tout cela dans la lumière de l’intertexte et du palimpseste en tant que modèle herméneutique. Donc, l’originalité de l’écriture bauchautienne est qu’au centre des récits surajoutés, se poursuit le récit mythique avec des parties composantes passées, réelles ou recomposées, au profit d’expériences nouvelles, d’un regard nouveau porté sur l’homme.Mots clés : Henry Bauchau, Œdipe, mythe, symbole, identité, errance, route, catharsis, intertextualité, écriture, rêve. / This research paper proposes a study of a corpus focused on the novel Œdipe sur la route by Henry Bauchau, but also referring to other works of the œdipal cycle and to the writer’s diaries. It is a study which operates on a double level that of an ontological project of the wandering characters in search for identity, for purification and that of writing strategies. The first part of this study, based methodologically on the theoretical works on myth, suggests a definition of concepts, of the relations of myth with literature, of the evolution of œdipal myth. In the centre of our work, with a comparative, argumentative, hermeneutical and stylistic analysis, we focus on Bauchau’s novel, Œdipe sur la route. We analyze Œdipus and the writer’s dreams, the road between Thebes and Colonos, the transformation from an incestuous, murderer and blind king to a bard, an artist, a tutelary hero of Athens, the main symbols and characters in the œdipal cycle and we present the Romanians’ point of view on Œdipus’ myth. The final part analyzes Bauchau’s writing: the polyphony, the anachrony, the mise en abîme technique, the intergenericity, the status of characters, the dream dimension. Everything converges to a poetics of oscillation, of doubt, of wandering. These are emphasized by an analysis in the light of inter-text and palimpsest as a hermeneutical model. Thus, the originality of Bauchau’s writing is that in the centre of added stories, Sophocles’s mythic story continues with past, real or recomposed parts, for the benefit of new experiences, of a new vision on man.Keywords: Henry Bauchau, Œdipus, myth, symbol, identity, wandering, road, catharsis, intertextuality, writing, dream.

The diploma thesis Comparative study of a presentation of women's beauty in lifestyle magazines for men and women suggests the hypothesis that the image of women's beauty is modified according to the target group of the media. As to support or falsify the thought, there are analysed chosen photographs of women in four Czech lifestyle magazines, specifically in ELLE, ForMen, Cosmopolitan and Esquire. Chosen method of semiotic analysis and description helps define the differences between image of women's beauty in the pictures. In order to interpret the pictures in broader context, the first half of work deals with the development of aesthetic theories and various scientific views of beauty as well as theories about presumed media influence. The results of the analysis are interpreted and explained on the grounds the theoretical base. Besides the evaluation of the primary hypotheses there are also noted other theoretical findings. The document is closed by comments of authoress on the issue based on already written theories.

Diploma thesis deals with semiotics of advertising media campaigns of sport clubs AC Sparta Praha and HC Sparta Praha in the season 2013/2014. Both of the clubs celebrated an anniversary this season: AC Sparta Praha celebrated 120 years since its foundation, HC Sparta Praha celebrated 110 years. That was a reason why media campaigns were intensive and referred to the glorious history of the clubs. The Diploma thesis research is focused on meanings encoded into the campaigns and attempts to find out which verbal and non-verbal signs create the term "Sparta". The Author tries to find out if there is the same semiotic base for both clubs which operate with the same name and elementary signs. Diploma thesis defines contemporary "myth of Sparta" in Czech sport area. Theoretical part occupies with contemporary status of sport in the society, analytical part deals with the media campaigns of both clubs from semiotic perspective.

This thesis deals with the poster of the Nazi Third Reich and the ideology shaped by the images and text communication, which it presents. The work looks at the poster as an important medium of communication that served Nazi propaganda to spread National Socialist ideology. This thesis aims to analyse these myths and debunk them in the way how Roland Barthes defines them in his book Mythologies. The author of the diploma thesis applies the traditional method of qualitative research of the media content - mythological and semiotic analysis - to demystify the myths and semiotic characters used in the selected Nazi posters. The first part of the thesis contains terminology, the second part presents the analysis of the individual posters, which are divided into several groups. In the conclusion of the thesis, the author presents a list of common symbols and myths, which are the result of the analysis.

This work deals with characteristics of Greek mythology and tries to define a myth and to describe the differences between myths and fairy tales. It focuses on an origin and a history of myths, on gods and on heroes. My work also examines a concept of collective unconscious and archetypes, that appears in antique mythology (especially the archetype of a hero). Based on these findings, this work forms characteristic features of heroes, that are applied on the Greek heroes Odysseus and Achilles. Their life stories prove they deserve to be considered as archetypes of heroes. A survey, that deals with a concept of heroism according to contemporary young people, is also part of the work. It reflects not just the teenagers' image of a hero, but it examines their knowledge of Greek mythology, too.

Diploma work Lived Space of Archaic Greece Eliška Luhanová (UFaR FF UK) tutor: Mgr. Sylva Fischerová, PhD. Abstract The diploma work Lived Space of Archaic Greece reconstructs the spatial structuration of the world in archaic Greece on the basis of a systematic reading of Hesiod's poems, mainly the Theogony. Nevertheless it takes into account also another texts which help to illuminate the archaic Greek thought, in particular the works of archaic poets and later dramatic texts, which preserve many of the archaic visions. In same cases the subsequent evolution of the subject is pointed out moreover, especially where the authors classified as first philosophers by the later tradition are concerned. The main contribution of the work lies in reconstruction of the cosmogonic process, based on the poetical account given by Hesiod. This process is interpreted as a successive constitution of the world order, which culminates by establishing Zeus as a world sovereign and at the same time as a successive constitution of the world as a differentiated spatial whole. This constitution thus proceeds in a form of differentiation, which means partly a mutual differentiation of the gradually emergent cosmical constituents, partly an intrinsic differentiation of the particular constituents of the cosmic structure. First...